Should You Listen To Google Ad Strategists? – A Google Adwords Consultant’s Perspective

I recently saw a question on Quora where someone was asking why his Google Ad strategist was telling him to make changes, and then not do anything for two weeks. As a Google Adwords Consultant, this bothers me deeply. This is terrible blanket advice. Sure, there are certain adjustments that need time to test. If you adjust a campaign from manual bidding to automated bidding, you have to give it some time to adjust and learn. You can’t just flip a switch and expect Google’s algorithm to be perfect in just a couple of days. Additionally, if you’re testing new ads, you have to make sure you collect sufficient data before deciding on a winner. How long to wait depends on your traffic. It could take a week to declare a winner, or it could take months.

There are always changes that must be made consistently popping up. Some of them will be unexpected, and you can’t just ignore issues because someone called you and said not to make a change in the next two weeks. If one keyword starts matching to a bad term and it’s blowing your money, you have to block that term. If you notice your mobile traffic is spending 90% of your budget, but it’s cost per conversion is double, you have to pull back on mobile traffic. Doing nothing is simply not feasible in 99% of situations.

An important thing to consider is that these “Google Ad strategists” are really more like sales people. They tell you your budgets and bids are too low. They tell you to raise the budgets and use an automated bid strategy that’s much more likely to spend your money, but not always as likely to increase your profit. We’ve had many clients come to us after taking advice from their Google strategists. Often we see pure broad keywords matching to terms completely irrelevant to their businesses. They’re shocked to find this out, but it’s the reality.

Hire An Expert Google Adwords Management Agency

Your “Google Ad Strategist” does not always have your business’s best interest in mind. Their goal is often to just get you to spend more money. If your Google Adwords account isn’t making you money, it’s time to reach out to an independent Google Adwords consultant. Many consultants and agencies offer a 100% free consultation. They can take a look around the account and find opportunities to help. Even if it’s not a good fit, most consultants will offer some free advice that can help eliminate waste and point you in the right direction. When you hire an outside Google Adwords management agency, they’re much more likely to do a good job. Since they only get paid if you continue working with them, it’s in their best interest that you make money. If you’re not making money with Google Adwords, you’ll end your relationship with them and they won’t get paid. Of course, not all agencies are equal and some will put a better foot forward than others. It’s always important to do your due diligence when hiring someone to manage any part of your business.